Contour following apparatus



May 18, 1954 w. MARTIN CONTOUR FOLLOWING APPARATUS 6 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Nov. 14, 1949 INVENTOR.

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WENDELL L. MART/N Filed Nov, 14, 1.949

ATTORNEYS May 18, 1954 w, L. MARTIN .coNTouR FOLLOWING APPARATUS 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Nov. 14, 1949 73u EL" www .A TTOENEYS May 18, 1954 w. L. MARTIN 2,678,496

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WENDFL LMAET//V P) A TTOP/VEYS May 18, 1954 w. MARTIN 2,678,496

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llllllllhlll- IN VEN TOR. A WENDLL l R7' /N A TTOPNEYS Patented May 18, 1954 CONTOUR FOLLOWING APPARATUS Wendell L. Martin, Shaker Heights, Ohio, assignor to The Martin Brothers Electric Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application November 14, 1949, Serial No. 127,107

13 Claims. 1

This invention relates to contour reproducing apparatus and particularly to apparatus comprising a tracer` adapted automatically to follow a contour or pattern, the motion of the tracer being transmitted to a tool such as a cutting torch, for example, which is constrained to follow the same path as the tracer thereby to reproduce the contour or pattern. The present invention constitutes in some respects an improvement on the apparatus disclosed and claimed in my copending application Serial No. 728,223, filed February 18, 1947, and now Patent No. 2,622,871, issued December 23, 1953, to which reference is hereby made, and of which the present application is a continuation in part.

The several aspects of the invention disclosed herein relate to mechanical features of construction of the follower mechanism, including the apparatus for driving and steering the follower or tracer, to the electrical apparatus and circuits for controlling the follower mechanism and supplying the necessary electrical impulses for steering the tracer along the contour and to a method for controlling the follower mechanism to cause it accurately to trace the pattern, contour or the like. The present specification discloses a preferred form of the invention adapted for use with a flame cutter of generally conventional design and construction. It is to be understood, however, that the invention may be adapted for various other uses and purposes, and that changes and modifications may be made in the preferred form of the invention disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

A general object of the present invention is the provision of a contour1 following apparatus which is adapted rap-idly and accurately to trace or reproduce a contour, pattern or the like. Another object is the provision of such an apparatus which is sturdy and substantially foolproof in operation, which can be manufactured at reasonable cost, which requires no particular skill on the part oi the operator and which is so constructed that it can be used under the generally severe operating conditions which ordinarily obtain in metalworking shops, mills, structural iron works and the like wherein machines of this character find their greatest fields of usefulness. Other objects of the invention include the provision of a simple and sturdy contour following apparatus which can readily be adapted to cutting and welding machines of conventional r designs; the provision of a contour follower and method of following contours capable of accurately reproducing at high operating speeds patterns embodying abrupt turns without requiring modification of the pattern; the provision of a machine adapted to manual tracing as well as automatic tracing; the provision of an automatic contour following apparatus embodying a simple adjustment for compensating for the width of the cut made by the torch or other cutting apparatus with which the machine is used, whereby the resultant workpiece may be made accurately and of the saine size as the original pattern with varying widths of cut.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred form thereof, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating a generally conventional iiame cutting apparatus of the pantograph type incorporating a preferred form of my contour follower; Figure 2 is a front elevational view on an enlarged scale showing the contour follower of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an end elevational view taken as indicated by line 3-3 of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a rear elevational View of the contour follower taken as indicated by the line iof Figure 3; Figure 5 is an enlarged elevational View of the tracer mechanism of the follower; Figure 6 is a View looking upwardly at a portion of the tracer control mechanism, the view being taken along the line 6 5 of Figure 5; Figure 7 is a vertical sectional detail of the tracer mechanism taken as indicated by the line 'i-l of Figure 6; Figure 8 is a detail showing the adjustment for the contacts for the vibrating reed employed in the tracer; Figure 9 is a detail of the tracer head illustrating the adjustment for kerf width; Fig- General arrangement Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, a typical ame cutting apparatus to which my invention may be readily adapted comprises a heavy base member l0 resting on the shop floor as shown and having upwardly projecting supporting members il and iii at either end thereof. These members carry, on suitable antifriction bearings, horizontally extending arms if and ifi, the arms being interconnected at their ends rernote from the supports il and i2 by a link I5 so that the arms are constrained to remain parallel to each other at all times in their pivotal movement on the supports l l and l2. The arms are further supported against vertical deflection by tension members il and it.

Arms i3 and ld carry brackets ifi and til, respectively, which support another pair of parallel arms 2i and 22, these arrns likewise being mounted in the brackets iii and by antifrietion bearings, and tension members and being provided to prevent vertical deiiection of the outer ends of the arms.

The outer ends of arms 2l and iil are connected by a square supporting bar 2li which is f parallel to the connecting link iti and has the functions of constraining the arms 2i and 22 to remain parallel to each other at all times thus completing the pantograph assembly, and of pro viding a support ior one or more torches 2l' or other appropriate cutting tools as well as a support for the pattern :following apparatus indi-- cated in general at 2G. The pattern following apparatus, as will be described in detail below, operates automatically to follow a pattern P' disposed on the pattern support and in so foln lowing the pattern to cause the torch to follow a path corresponding to the shape of the pattern. n conventional cutting apparatus oi' the general type just described, a manually steerable driving unit is ordinarily mounted where the 'tracer following apparatus 29 is shown :in @figure i. rElms, in order to incorporate present invention in a conventional cutting apparatus, it is only necessary to substitute the paratus il) for the usual manually controllable apparatus.

The required electrical connections i'roin the apparatus 2li to the necessary power supply and other electrical. control circuits are made 'through cable 3l which is led along tension members 2li and i3 to the support l2 and thence to the control box 32 which may be disposed at any con* venient location. Flexible hoses indicated collec'- tively at 33 are led from the torch 2l' through appropriate supports fill, 35 and it carried by the bar 2li, and extend along tension members 2li and i8 to the supporting post l2, and thence to appropriate sources of the gases required for operation of the torch.

The worlr may be supported bene-ath the torch in any convenient manner, for example, by a structure made up of the longitudinally extendn ing I-bearns 37 and transversely extending angle irons 38.

Pattern, following apparatus The pattern following apparatus indicated in general at 29 in Figure l is shown on an enlarged scale in Figures 2, 3 and fr. The appa.- ratus is enclosed within a housing dil, the l1ousing containing a driving motor di which serves to propel the apparatus along the pattern and a steering motor 42 which controls the direction in which the apparatus is driven by the driving motor. A speed control switch i3 i'or the driving motor is mounted on the front face of the housing, the'dial All being calibrated in inches per minute in the example shown in the drawings. A switch 45 for starting and stopping the 4 apparatus is also mounted on the front face of the housing.

Driving mechanism-In order to propel the apparatus around the pattern, the vertical shaft il of the driving motor is extended downwardly toward the pattern support 30 and terminates in a worm 48. The worin 48 engages worin wheel 139, and a driving connection is iliade to the friction driving wheel 50 through worm 5l, worm wheel 52 and gears 53 and 54, the gear 54 being mounted on the shaft 55 which supports the driving wheel 5u. The several worms, worm wheels and gears are carried by suitable shafts mounted on appropriate bearings in the housing 5d for the drive wheel 59, It is to be noted that the axis of the drive wheel and its point of contact with the pattern are preferably offset from the axis of the shaft 41 as indicated by the dimension o'. in Figure 3; this slight offset improves the accuracy of the steering control as explained in detail below.

The housing 56 supported for rotation about the axis of the shaft il in order to make it possible for the driving wheel 5i] to drive the apparatus in any desired direction. The rotatable mounting of the housing 55 is accomplished through the spindle housing 5l' which is supported coaxially with the shaft il by radial ball bearings 53 and 59 at the upper and lower ends of the spindle housing, respectively. The horizontal top plate Si of the drive wheel housing 553 engages flange 62 of the spindle housing and is secured to the ilange by screws 63 so that the housing. Sli is constrained to rotate about the axis of the shaft 47 with the 'spindle vhousing 5l.

l'n order to take the thrust load due to the weight of the apparatus 29 on the driving wheel a thrust bearing @4 is provided immediately above the radial bearing` 58. The bearing 58 is disposed within an enlargement 65 at the upper end of the spindle housing 5l, and the thrust bearing 64 is supported by the frame of the motor 4l. Motors lil and 132 are both bolted to the base plate 66 of housing 4u. The entire assembly of spindle housing, bearings and drive housing is retained on the motor shait fl'l against downward displacement by means of the washer ill which in turn is held in position by worm #lll which pinned to the motor shaft by drive pin 63. The housing 4l) has a depending skirt portion te (partly broken away in Figure 2) which shields the spindle housing 51 and also portions of the tracer head mechanism.

Those skilled in the art will understand that where the'cutting tool or other apparatus to be propelledv around the contour is especially heavy or requires more force to propel it than can be conveniently developed bya single driving wheel, two or more driving wheels, mounted on rotatable spindles, can be employed; in such an installation the driving wheels are preferably driven 'in synchronisrn by a single motor through a belt or other suitable means, and also are steered in synchronisrn by a belt or other suitable means.

Steering mectauz`s17t-1n order to steer the driving wheel 56, the shaft 'fi of the steering motor 42 is provided with a sheave i2 having radially projecting pins 'I3 and arranged to drive the perforated belt 'I4 (see Figures 2 and 6) 'which alsoengages thesheave portion l5 of the spindle housing 51. The sheave yportion "i5 likewise has pins it for engagingtheperforations of the rbelt lll; thus, the lbelt is preventedv from slipping with respectto the sheave, andinasmuch as the belt issubstantially free from stretch under the loads imposed upon it and is maintained under slight tension between the sheaves 12 and l5, the connection from the steering rnctor to the spindle housing 51 is substantially free from backlash, requires no lubrication and has very low inertia, making the response of the apparatus very quick.

Handles 11 and 18 are secured to the drive wheel housing 56 to provide for manual steering of the apparatus, manual steering being useful in directing the apparatus toward the pattern to be followed and under circumstances where automatic operation is not required. Also, in order to adapt the device for manual tracing, a tracing stylus 19 is supported slightly above the pattern support 30 by a rod 9| depending from the base plate 0@ of the housing. The manual tracing stylus 19 comprises a piece of clear plastic having an opaque dot 82 (see Figure 3) in the lower surface 'thereof which makes it possible for an operator manually to steer the apparatus around a pattern with a reasonable degree of accuracy.

In order to provide for automatic steering of the apparatus around a pattern or contour, a tracing head, indicated in general at 85 is supported on the depending shaft 1| of the steering motor 42 so that the tracing head is steered simultaneously with the drive wheel 50. The tracing head terminates in a tracer proper 86, shown in detail in Figures 1l and 12 and to be described more fully below, which is arranged to engage the edge of the pattern P mounted on the pattern support 30. such that through suitable electrical circuits to be described in detail below, the steering motor is controlled to steer the drive wheel 50 to cause the tracer to follow around the pattern P with the tracer 86 lightly engaging the edge of the pattern and with the locus of the center of the shaft 1| spaced away from the edge of the pattern a distance substantially equal to one-half the width of the kei-f out by the torch. Inasmuch as the parallel linkage mechanism of the i flame cutting apparatus constrains the torch 21 to take the same path as the tracing apparatus 29, it will be evident that the torch will follow a path determined by the configuration of the pattern P and hence will cut along a line determined by the configuration of the pattern P.

Mounting of pattern following apparatus.- As noted above, the weight of the entire pattern following apparatus rests on the driving wheel 50 when the device is in use. In order to hold the apparatus in proper relationship to the pantograph and also to provide for lifting the driving wheel 50 out of engagement with the pattern support when it is desired to move the apparatus manually, the apparatus 29 is connected to the bar 26 by the mechanism shown particularly in Figures 3 and 4. This mechanism comprises a vertical bar 90 which may be clamped to bar 26 to hold apparatus 29 in any desired angular position with respect to bar 25. Bar 90 has vertically spaced horizontal bars 9| and 92 extending through it, the bars 9i and 92 being locked in position by pins 93 and 84. The pattern following apparatus 29 is supported through pairs of parallel links 95 and et and S1 and 98 which are pivotally mounted on the ends of bars 9| and 92, respectively. The opposite ends of the links 95 and 91 are pivotally secured to brackets 99 and |00 (see Figure 3) which are welded to the back of the housing 40. The correspond- The arrangement is YV ing ends of links 96 and 98 are pvoted to simillar brackets. Links 95 and 96 are secured together by a longitudinally extending horizontal bar |02 disposed at the ends of the links near the housing and links 91 and 98 are secured together by a similar bar |03. The mechanism just described thus retains the tracer apparatus and housing 40 in xed relationship to the pantograph apparatus insofar as any substantial displacement in horizontal directions is concerned, and at the same time permits the housing to move vertically with respect to the pantograph apparatus, thus enabling the drive Wheel to run without difculty over any slight irregularities in the pattern support or pattern.

In order to lift the pattern following apparatus 29 to disengage the driving wheel 50 from the pattern support, a handle |04 projects from the back of the housing to a position adjacent the front thereof and is provided with a transversely extending portion |05 which is pivotally supported by aligned openings in links 95 and 96. A lifting link IDB is pinned to the central part of the transversely extending portion |05. The other end of the link |06 is pivotally connected to toggle link |1 which in turn has its other end pivoted to the bracket |08 which is welded to the vertical bar 90. By reference to Figure 3, it will be seen that when the end of the handle 04 is raised by the operator, the tracing apparatus 29 will be raised, the handle |04, housing 4I and the links 95 and 91 taking the positions shown in broken lines in Figure 3. It will be noted that the toggle made up of links |06 and |01 is over center when the parts are in raised position with the lug |0611 engaging bracket 99 and thus retaining the tracing apparatus 29 in.

raised position. The length of the handle is such as to give considerable mechanical advantage so that the apparatus can be raised and lowered by the operator without difficulty.

Tracer head motor 42 by means of screws 4; Thus, the block can rock with respect to the shaft about the axis of the trunnions, but it is constrained to rotate about the axis of the shaft with the shaft 1|. It is to be noted that for convenience of illustration the axis of the trunnions is shown as parallel to the plane of the drive wheel 50. Actually, the axis of the trunnions is preferably rotated about 30 from this position, for reasons which are explained below.

A slide ||5 is guided for adjustment along block lill and is secured to block ||0 by thumb screw HB, see Figures 5 and 9, the shaft |I1 of the thumb screw passing through an enlarged opening ||8 in the slide ||5 so that when the thumb screw is loosened the slide may be moved longitudinally of the block lli) by means of the adjusting screw |20 disposed in slot |20a in block lll). The screw |20 passes through and makes threaded engagement with the rod |2| (Figure 10) the rod |2| is secured in a recess in the slide 'acreage Il|""astby pin |22v and moves in slot |20a in block III). Inasmuch as the adjusting screw |26 is held against longitudinal movement with respect toblock IIEI by engagement of the head it `with the. end of the block Ill4 and; by engagement of theenlarged threaded portion oi the screw with the.` internalV shoulder |24. of the bloclr, rotation or the adjusting screw` |23 adjusts the. slide II longitudinally of the block. Thisv adjustment provides for compensation for the width of the kerf cutV by the torch inasmuch as the Inovement ofthe slide is generally transverse to the direction of movement of the apparatus along the pattern, the axis of the trunnions ||I being disposed at` en angle of about to the plane of thedriving wheel 50.

TheY actual engagement between the pattern and the apparatus is throughthe tracer t6 which is mounted in. the block IIi.` As shown in ures l1 and l2,` the shank portion |25 of the trac/er or stylus has Eats |25 and 521 on the sides thereofV for holding it against rotation in the block, and the sank is locked in position by set screws, pins or the like. The engage-- ment between the edge of the pattern and the tracer 8G is with the reduced portion izo oi the, tracer. As shown in Figure l2, this portion is circular in cross-section except for a flat |29 extending parallel to the direction of niove ment of the tracer, i. e., at an angle ci 39 to the axis of the trunnions and. parallel to the plane of the driving wheel 50. Small radii, not shown in the drawing are provided where the dat surw face |29 intersects the round surface. it will be noted from Figure 12 of. the drawings, that the center cof the round reduced portion E28 of the tracer does not coincide with the axis .r of the motor shaft 'II but is displaced in the direction of movement of the assembly by an amount indicated by the dimension b in Figure la and be displaced) toward the pattern; in a typical instaln lation dimension b may be about 0.025 inch; the displacement toward the pattern may be about 0.010 inch, the effective displacement toward the pattern may be adjusted by slide I 5 as described. above to compensate for the width of the lrerf cut bythe torch. Point y is the point in the pattern engaging portion that coincides with the axis :c of the motor shaft when the tracer head is in the neutral or null position, i. e., when the center :c of the motor shaft is in the correct position with respect to the pattern. Point y is disposed` toward the rear of portion i728, approximately alignmentwith the rear edge of the iiat surface |29. The lateral position of point y in portion |28 varies, depending upon the adjustment of the` slide H5 for keri width. As will appear from the detailed description of the operation ci the device, this shape of the tracer in combination with the oiset of the drive wheel from the axis of the driving motor, which offset is indicated by dimension c inl Figure 3.. cooperate to give stable and accurate response of the device to turns, corners and curves inthe pattern, enabling the apparatus to follow the pattern ac curately at high cutting speeds without requirlng special compensation of the pattern.

It will be evident that changes in the force exerted by the edge of the pattern against the tracer Bil will cause the tracer head 85 to rock about the trunnions Hi. It is this rocking motion that is used to control the steering motor 42 and thus to steer the driving wheel EQ so as to cause the apparatus tofollow the pattern; the steering apparatus functions to Anlaintainthe re- C. iii

that

lationship between the center line of the shaft l! of the steering motor and the edge ofthe pattern substantially constant, only very slight pivotal movements of the tracer head being required to etiect the operation of the control.

rlhe pivotal movements of the tracer head 85 are translated into Vertical movements of the collar or bushing itt which is slidably mounted on the motor shaft 1| above the yoke II2. This is accomplished by connecting the slide |ID and the collar by a link |3I which is in the form of a thin ilat spring (see Figure 5) The ends of the connecting spring I3I are clamped to the beveled end surface |32 of the slide il!) and to the i obliouely extending lat surface |33 of the collar |30, the angles of these surfaces being such that when the spring is straight the tracer head 35 and tracer B6 are urged toward the pattern; i. the embodiment shown in Figure 5 of the drawings, the spring link I3! tends to. rotate the tracer head 85 about the trunnions in a counterclcclrwise direction and thus urges the tracer 8G lightly against the edge or" the pattern In this 'gure, the tracer head is shown held in position with the axis or" the tracer 36 vertical and parallel to the anis of the shaft 'lI by engagement of the tracer with edge of the pat- 'ern P; this preferably is the neutral or null position in which the apparatus does` not give steering rnotor a dominant signal to turn in either direction.

shown in Figures 5 and '7, the upper surface i3d of shoulder formed on the collar |39 anthe heads small brass rivets |35 which are secured in the actuator plate |37 which surand the sleeve portion |38 The actuator plate i" secured to the plate |31 and isl clamped as by -i Ni and plate |42 to the block |43 which engages the insulating base |44, the base being clamped in turn to the base plate 536 of the hous- 4%. The shape of spring |39 issuch that it urges the actuator plate |3l1 downwardly so spring I3@r and the weight oi the actuator plate` both cause the rivets |35 to bear downwardly on the shoulder |35 of the collar i 3E), thus augmenting the tendency of the link spring. I3I to urge the tracer 86 against the pattern P.

Thus, if the of the motor shaft 'Il moves outwardly away from its normal position with respect to the edge ci the pattern, the spring link iti and the action or the actuator |37 urging the collar downwardly will cause the tracer head 1 S5 to pivot about the trunnions in a counterclockwise direction in Figure 5 resulting in a lowering of the collar ist and the actuator plate |31 along the motor shaft ll, Conversely, if the relationship changes so that the edge of the pattern rotates the tracer head 35 about the trunnions in a clockwise direction, the collar |30 will be inovedupwardly by the spring link I3I and the actuator plate it? will likewise be moved upwardly against the action or" the spring |39. Slight changes in the position of the axis of the motor shaft with respect to the edge of the pattern thus result in slight rotational movements of the tracer head 35 about the trunnions, and these rotational movements are translated into upward and downward movements of the actuator plate |31. These upward and downward movements of the actuator plate are utilized to control the steering motor to steer the apparatus to cause thetracer to foliow the patternandto maintainl thel relationship between the axis of contact with the insulators the steering motor and the edge of the pattern substantially constant except for the very slight movements required to effect the control.

Vibrating reed and contacta-Control of the steering motor is carried out by means of electrical circuits, a preferred form of which is described below. The required impulses i'or controlling the electrical apparatus are derived from movements of the actuator plate |31 and the spring contact fingers |46 and |41 (Figure 7). These contact fingers are clamped at one end by screws |48 and |49 to the actuator plate |31, insulating bushings |50 and |5| being provided to space the fingers from the plate. The opposite ends of the contact fingers are bent toward each other as shown, and terminate in contacts |52 and |53 which are arranged to engage contacts |54 and |55 of vibrating reed |56. Contacts |56 and |55 are insulated from the reed and from each other and, like contact iingers |46 and |41, are connected to the control circuit through wires such as those illustrated in Figure 6. One end of the reed |56 is supported by insulating blocks |51 secured to the insulating base |44; the opposite end of the reed, which is weighted by ferrous plates |59 in order to give the reed the desired natural frequency of vibration, is disposed adjacent the pole piece of the coil |60, the coil being energized to cause the reed to vibrate at the frequency of the A. C. power supply used to operate the apparatus. The operation of the electrical control system is described in detail with reference to the wiring diagram which constitutes Figure 13 of the drawings. For present purposes, it will suffice to say that movement of the actuator plate |31 up or down as a result of rocking movement of the tracer head 86 changes the relationship between the contacts |52 and |53 of the contact arms |46 and |41 and the contact points |54 and |55 of the vibrating reed |56. The change in these relationships is utilized to control the steering motor to bring the ap paratus back to the neutral position shown in the drawing.

Adjustment of contacta- In order to maintain the contacts |52 and |53 in proper position with respect to the vibrating reed and to provide for adjustment thereof, the inward movement of the contact fingers toward each other is limited by insulators |63 and |64 which are secured to .r

the downwardly turned end |65 of the actuator plate |31 by screws |66 and |61 operating in inclined slots |66 and |69 in the insulators. The engaging surfaces of the insulators are correspondingly inclined as shown in Figure 8. By means of these insulators, the spacing of the contacts |52 and |53 with respect to the contacts |54 and |55 can be adjusted accurately, and the sensitivity and response characteristics of the apparatus can be Varied.

It will be understood that in operation the ampiitude of the vibration of the reed |56 is great enough so that with the ordinary adjustment, the contact |54 engages the contact |53 and the contact |55 engages the contact |53 during the latter part of each cycle of vibration even when the apparatus is in the neutral or null position with the tracer in the desired relationship to the edge of the pattern. The action oi the reed lifts the resilient contact ngers out of |63 and |64 momentarily during each cycle` The duration of contact between the contacts |52 and |54 and |53 and |56, of course, varies with the position of the actuator plate |31. Raising the actuator 10` plate |31 increases the duration of contact between contacts |53 and |55 and reduces the duration of, or even entirely eliminates, contact between contacts |52 and |56; lowering of the actuating plate |31 has the opposite effect.

Electrical circuits Steering control.-The circuits shown in the wiring diagram constituting Figure 13 of the drawings translate the changes in relationship between the contacts |52 and |53 and the contacts |54 and |55 on reed |56 into impulses which control the operation of the steering motor 42. The control circuit is so arranged that when the engagement between the template or pattern. and the tracer 86 rotates the tracer head 65 in a clockwise direction as shown in Figure 5, and thus raises the collar |36 and actuator plate |31, contact |56 is moved closer to contact this advances the instant of engagement of these contacts in each cycle of vibration of the reed and energizes the steering motor to cause it to turn the drive wheel in a direction to steer the tracer away for the center of the pattern, thus permitting the spring |36 to return the tracer head to its normal position and at the same time return the contacts |52 and |53 to their normal positions with respect to the reed. When the tracer moves away from the pattern so that the tracer head 85 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction by the springs |3| and |36, the coliar |66 and actuator |31 are lowered; the closer positioning of contact |52 to contact |54 results in energication of the steering motor to steer the driving wheel in the opposite direction, i. e., toward the center of the pattern.

These results are preferably obtained through electrical circuits such as shown in Figure 13 in which the single phase A. C. power supply lines |16 and |15 are connected through the ori-01T switch |16 and fuse |11 to transiormer |16. The primary or transformer |18 is one section of a center tapped winding arranged to supply fullwave rectified current to the iields |19 and |86, resectively, of the drive and steering motors 4| and d2. The A. C, supply is rectied. by the fullwave rectii'ler tube |6| which is connected with its plates to the outside terminals of the Winding containing the primary of transformer |18 and with its cathode connected to the two elds in parallel and to the center tap |62 of the transformer. A smoothing lter |84 is connected across the elds and start-stop switch d5 is arranged to disconnect one plate and the cathode circuit or tube iti with the result that the elds are energized only while the machine is in operation with switch closed.

ln order to energize the armature of steering motor c2 to cause the motor to rotate in the desired direction to provide proper steering control, the `power for the armature of motor 42 is supplied through thyratrons |66 and |66. These are connected in inverse parallel, the cathode of tube |66 and the plate of tube |56 being connected to line iid, while the plate of tube |66 and the cathode of tube |66 are connected to line i6! leading to the armature of motor d2 through current limiting reactor |62. A filter |63 is connected across the armature, and the return to line |15 is through contacts |65 of magnetic switch |65. Therefore, when tube |63 is conductive, the direction. or current iiow through the armature of motor t2 is opposite to that when the tube |36 is conductive, but the energization of the field remains the same. Thus, the direction of rotation of the armature of the steering motor is determined by the tubes, and the power applied to the steering rnotor is dependent upon the point in the positive half cycles or plate current applied to the respective tubes at which the tubes become conductive. The firing of the tubes is controlled by the amount the tracer is moved from its neutral or null position. which in turn controls the position of the contacts 52 and it with respect to the contacts lofi 255 on the reed.

The control of the nring of the tubes is accom-- plished as follows: Considering irst the control circuits for tube it, the primary or isolating transformer lilo is connected across lines ilo and |15. The secondary of transformer 95 is connected across resistor le?. The voltage between points tilt and les of the resistor is applied to the control. grid of thyratron itil so iong as the contacts and i555 are not in engagement with each other. This voltage negative to the plate voltage of tube as indicated diagrainrnatically in Figure However, voltage between points @il and the resistor iii? is opposite in phase t0 the voltage between oints Hi8 and itil, and inasmuch as contact is connected to point 283 and contact i552 is connected through contact finge and point to the grid of tube |88, the tube will be tired as soon contact i554 touches contact i522 because the 'voltage at point 263, which is in phase with the plate voltage, will then be applied to the grid of thyratron Resistor 2t! serves to liinit current flow when contacts E52 and are closed and capacitor litt stabilizes the control grid voltage.

As shown in Figure lll, the voltage between the points lii and till-l is in phase with the plate voltage of thyratron HB. Reed caused to vi brate in synchronisin with the A. C. supply and is synchronized to approach contact iiii during the positive half cycle or plate voltage on tube |83. Therefore, ir ringer itil is held sonic distance away from reed itil by engagement with insulator 563, then contact will be made between contacts |52 and loll only at the extreme end of the swing of reed l3nt. the positive half cycle, this condition being shown in Figure 14A.

On the other hand, if insulator i553 is lowered by counterclockwise rotation of the tracer head 85 to position contact 52 closer to reedv lii, con 'ta-cts |54 and i552 will come into engagement early,T in the swing of reed i555 toward contact 52, and tube itil will be fired early in the positive haii cycle of voltage, this condition being shown in Figure le;

In the first instance, with tube iiring late as shown in Figure les., only a srnall amount of en* ergy will be supplied to the motor, whereas in the second instance, with the tube hiring' early in the positive haii cycle, a .much larger amount oi energy will be supplied. r1hus, the amount of energy supplied to the armature of the motor through the tube it determined by the position or ringer with. respect to the reed, and this position, as previously described, determined by the engagement between the tracer and the pattern. In einl'iodirnent shown in the drawings, the arrangement is that ener gization of the armature oi the inotor iii through tube it@ causes the steering motor to rotate to steer the driving' wheel and tracer mechanism in a direction toward the center oi the pattern. The point in the cycle at which the tub-e res is earlier the greater the displacement of the tracer head from null position; therefore the magnitude of Thus, the tube itil will nre late in fil 12 the correcting iorces varies with the amount'l ci displacement, a small error producing small core recting impulses and a large error applying the fuif. power of the steering motor.

The operation or tube |89 is the same as that described with respect to tube |88, but tube |39 is energized on opposite half cycles from tube IES, and the energization or tube l is controlled by contacts ii on the reed and |53 on the finger lill'. inasmuch as the position of lingers Ulli and i4? with respect to the reed |56 is determined by their engagement with the insulating blocks itil and it, one of the ringe-rs is moved toward the reeel |56 while the other finger is moved away by a like amount in` response to movements o the tracer head 85. Thus, as the fingers move with respect to the reed to increase the energy supplied to the armature through tube itil, the energy supplied through tube i235 is simultaneously decreased, the tube iis ceasing to nre at all when the ring of tube |38 is materially ladvanced. Movement of the Contact fingers in the opposite direction increases the energy applied through tube |89 and decreases and soon cuts oil" the application of energy through tube |83. In the preferred adjustment of the contacts, energization or the motor through both tubes is substantially equal in the null position and takes place late in the cycle with the result that the rnotor remains stationary. The action of the control is very smooth because the correcting impulses are proportional to the displacement.

Vibrator control-In order to vibrate reed |56 in synchronsrn with the A. C. power supply, the

coil |68 is energized by half-Wave rectifier 20S which is connected to the secondary of transformer 2li. (This circuit is shown near the top of Figure 13 for convenience of illustration; it will be understood that the coil |50 is actually disposed adjacent reed |56.) In order to adjust the action of the reed, the coil is adjustably mounted with respect to the reed on bracket |55@ by screw Icllb (see Figure 5) so that the amplitude of vibration can be controlled, and the primary of transformer Zill is connected across transformer HS through a phase shift control circuit embodying adjustable resistor 299 and condenser 2 I The phase of the current energizing coil |50 can be controlled by adjusting resistor 299. By retarding the phase of the coil and hence the cycle of vibrations oi the reed I, the amount of response around the neutral or null Zone is lessened because the contacts on the reed and on the ngers |46 and |41 will come into engagement with each other later in the cycle of the voltage applied to thyratrons |83 and |89. This gives smooth operation around the null point. Where it is desired to have the steering motor give an immediate and stronger response, for example, when a heavy cutting apparatus must be inoved, then the phasing of the energizing current for the coil lill) may be advanced until it is in phase with the plate supply for the thyratrons 183 and its. The character of the response can also be adjusted by adjusting the space between the fingers Ht and |41 by means oi the insulating blocks 163 and |84. It will be noted that transformer 26'.' is cnergized and current supplied to coil loi) as soon as the on-oif switch lll is closed; thus the reed is immediately placed operation and may be adjusted with the switch 45 open.

Starting and speed controlswn the operation of tracing devices of the general type disclosed herein in connection with cutting torches it is the usual practice to preheat the work by means of the torch, then turn on the high pressure oxygen, start the cut a short distance from the boundary of the shape to be cut and proceed in a straight line to the boundary. This type of operation requires that the steering motor and the automatic steering circuits be inoperative until the tracer 89 contacts the pattern and then be operative until the start-stop switch is opened at the end of the cut.

To carry out this mode of operation, the circuits are arranged so that when the start-stop switch 45 is closed the driving motor is energized through the speed control circuit to be described below, the solenoid valve 2|2, which controls the high pressure oxygen, is energized and opened and at the same time the cathode of thyratron 2|3 is connected to the secondary of transformer 2|4 through contacts 2lb and 2|6 of relay |95. The cathode of thyratrcn 2| 3 is also connected to the cathode of thyratron 89 at the center point 2H of resistor |91. The control grid for thyratron 2 I 3 is connected through the usual grid protective resistor to the grid connection '2|8 of thyratro-n |89. Thus, the firing of tube 2|3 is controlled by the same circuits that control the ring of tube |89, and when the reed |59 is moved to a position with respect to finger |46 to cause tube |89 to fire, tube 2|3 will also fire. In so doing, the relay |95 is energized thereby closing the circuit through contacts |94 and energizing the armature of steering motor d2. When relay |95 is energized the circuit is closed between contacts 2 9 and 2|6 before the circuit between contacts 2|5 and 2|6 is open. This locks the relay in and cuts thyratron 2|3 out of the circuit, the coil of the relay being connected across the secondary of transformer 2|4.

' It will be noted that thyratron |89 is the thyratron that is responsive to increasing pressure against tracer B6 and energizes the steering motor to steer away from the center of the pattern. Thus, so long as there is no pressure against tracer 86, the springs |3| and |39 hold the tracer head deflected in a direction toward the pattern with the actuator plate |31 and collar |39 depressed so that the reed will not make contact With the iinger |41; accordingly, the thyratrons |89 and 2|3 do not fire as long as the tracer 8B is out of contact with the pattern. However, as soon as the tracer contacts the pattern and the head 85 is moved to vertical or null position, tubes |89 and 213 both fire and automatic control of the steering motor is initiated immediately. The automatic control is maintained until the start-stop switch 45 is opened at which time the relay |95 drops out because transformer 2|4 is deenergized.

For proper cutting operation, accurate control of the speed of the drive motor is required through a wide range of speeds, preferably from 2 inches to 32 inches per minute. To accomplish this control, condenser 220 is charged by a reference voltage produced by rectifier 22 rihe grid of thyratron 222 which supplies the armature voltage for motor 4| is made positive by the setting of potentiometer 223. The armature voltage is connected to oppose the reference voltage on condenser 229, and thus tube 222 is held non-conducting whenever the armature voltage exceeds the reference voltage. In order to smooth the control and reduce the eiect of transients, a small phase shift voltage produced by the transn former 224 and phase shift circuit 225 is com nected in series with the two voltages and a illter 226 is connected across the armature.

The starting and speed controls above described are substantially the same as those described in somewhat greater detail in my aforesaid application.

Summary of opera-tion The mode of operation of the steering mechanism will be apparent from a consideration of the diagrams making up Figures 15, 16, 17 and 18. In these diagrams, the supports and l2, arms i3 and i4, link |5, arms 2| and 22, supporting bar 26, torch 2'! and the tracer apparatus 29 are shown diagrammatically with certain of the parts enlarged and others reduced for convenience in illustration with the result that the diagrams do not illustrate the parts either. to scale or in proportion. The pattern engaging portion |28 of the tracer is greatly enlarged as are the dimensions a and b which represent the rearward oiset of the drive wheel with respect to its axis and the forward eccentricity of the pattern engaging portion |23 with respect to the axis :c of the steering motor shaft 1|, respectively. In Figure 15, the full lines show the position of the parts with the portion |28 of the tracer in contact with the edge of a pattern P, the tracer being mounted, as previously described, for rocking movement about the axis provided by the trunnions l The drive wheel 50 is in contact with the pattern support at the distance a behind the center of the shaft 4'! of the drive motor which coincides with the axis of the concentric sleeve 51, this being the axis about which the drive wheel and its housing 56 are swung in order to steer the apparatus.

For convenience of illustration, the point y in these gures is located at the same perpendicular distance from the pattern engaging flat surface |29 of the portion |23 of the tracer as the center c of the circular portion of |28, and the keri width is twice this distance. Point y coincides with the axis x of the steering motor shaft 7| so long as the steering motor shaft, and hence the entire tracer apparatus, is in correct relationship to the pattern P, i. e., with the tracer head in neutral position. Assume, however, that because of a change in the shape of the pattern, an externally applied force or vibration or any other reason the edge of the pattern becomes positioned relative to the shaft 1| as shown at P in Figure 15; i. e., an error occurs by reason of the axis :r of the steering motor shaft 1| being too far away from the pattern; this permits the tracer head to rock about the trunnions (in a counterclockwise direction in Figures 2 and) to move the pattern engaging portion |28 of the tracer to the position shown in dotted lines in Figure l5, the weight of the head and the action of the springs 3| and |39 maintaining the at surface |29 in engagement with the pattern. Because of the angle at which the trunnions are disposed, this swinging movement is slightly forward as well as toward the center of the pattern. The swinging movement of the tracer head brings contact |52 on contact arm |46 closer to contacty |54 of the vibrating reed and through the electrical circuits just described, gives a signal to the steering motor which steers the drive wheel 5o to cause the center of shaft 'H to approach the pattern. Figure 15, however, shows the condition that exists before any steering movement has taken place. v The previously described electrical circuits are such that the strength ofthe savais@ correctingfsignalvaries with the extent ci the.

original error E, which is the distance between the point y in its new position the axis a: measured in a direction normal to the ci the pattern, the position of axis :c determines the location of the cutting torch through the pantograph.

One theoretical. instantaneous position of the parts. after the correcting signal has been given is shown in Figure 16. Here, in response to the signal, the steering motor, through the connection ,aforded by the shcave 'i2 on the steering motor shaft, the belt "Hl, sheave "l and sleeve 5l, has rotated the housing oi' the drive wheel 50 about the airis of shaft il sleeve 5'! through the angle w; and the shaft ii of the steering motor, the trunnions i i i and the tracer Ila have been rotated through a corresponding angle but the entire tracer head is considered not to have moved any appreciable distance in the new direction deter.A ined by the position to which the drive wheel housing has been rotated. (It will be understood that actual operation, steering4 rotation or tlc parts taires place almost simultaneousiy with the occurrence of a deviation from the pattern and that the apparatus is advanced continuously by the drive wheel. In Figures 15, 1f', 17 18 the several steps are considered separately for convenience oi' illustration and explanation.) in this position, not only is the direction of travel of the assembly changed as indicated by the arrow to steer the entire assembly toward the pattern, but also the offset a. between the point of Contact f of the drive wheel and the center of shaft 4? acts to niove the entire tracer apparatus, and correspondingly the torch 2l, inwardly toward the center of the pattern along an' are about the point ci Contact as a center. The amount of this inward bodily movement from the original line of travel L of the tracer head is shown by the dimensions d Figure 16.

This action immediately moves the center :c of the shaft li closer to the pattern, rocking the tracer head on the trunnions null position so that the total original error E is reduced by the distance o3, leaving the point 1J of the tracer out of alignment with center :c of the shaft 'l'i by the distance E which is now the primary error between the locus of the cut and the edge of the pattern and which distance determines the strength of the correcting signal. However, the shape of portion 28 is such that rotation of the tracer increases the distance between point y and the point of contact of portion 12a with the edge of the pattern by a distance indicated by dimension e. This consti- .tutes the secondary error which added to the primary error E measures the total error in the relationship between the center oi shaft ll and the edge of the pattern. 1t will be noted that because of the bodily movement of the entire assembly in the desired direction and because of the shape of the pattern. engaging portion of the tracer, the distance between the point y and the center :c of the shaft 'il is substantially reduced in Figure 16 as compared to Figure 15. Inasmuch as the strength of the correcting signal given to the steering motor is proportional to. this distance, the reduction reduces the correcting signal and thus tends to eliminate overcorrection..

Figure 17 shows a further phase in the correction. Here it is assumed that there has been no further rotation of trunnicns l l I, tracer t28 and iii toward the housing tfbut that the drive wheel has driven the assembly along the same direction as shown in Figure 16 toward the pattern until the point y coincides with the axis :c of the steering motor shaft. Thus the primary error has been entirely eliminated, leaving only the secondary error indicated by dimension e. In this condition, no correcting signal is being given to the steering motor but the tracer has not yet reached the desired correct relationship with the edge of the pattern because of the existence of the secondary error However, the drive wheel 50 is moving the entire tracer apparatus in the direction of the arrow; this motion moves the point y to the other side of axis applying a steering signal to the steering motor which causes a gradual return of the tracer to the relationship to the pattern shown in full lines in Figure 15, the secondary error being eliminated by rotation of thering motor shaft and 'tracer to a position in which the ilat surface itil is parallel to and in engagement with the edge of the pattern.

it is to be noted that the secondary error e is due to the shape ci the portion |28 of the tracer and is damping in its effect. That is, rotation of the tracer by the steering motor produces a decrease in the operating corrective torque before the correction has been completed, thus preventing over-gravel. 1t will be evident that the saine type of response occurs for either direction of corrective rotation. For corrections away from the center of the pattern, the rear portion ci iii engages the edge of the pattern, decreasing the distance from the point y to the point of contact with the pattern as compared to the distance from the point y to the flat |29.

This condition is shown in Figure 18 which is similar to Figure 17 except that the correction is in the opposite direction, In Figure 18 the steering motor has operated to move and steer the apparatus away from the center of the pattern, and the correction has been carried out sufficiently to bring the points x and y into alignment with each other; that is, the primary error has been eliminated, leaving only the secondary error e which is due to the difference between the dis--l tance between the point y and the point of contact of the portion 128 with the pattern, and the distance between the point y and the hat |29. The dotted line indication of the portion |28 in Figure 13 illustrates this difference in distances. As the apparatus moves in the direction of the arrow in Figure 18, the point y moves to a position between the axis a: and the edge of the pat r# tern, applying a4 steering signal to cause a gradual return of the parts to their correct relationship as shown in Figure 15, the secondary error of Figure 18 being gradually eliminated just as a. secondary error in the opposite direction shown in Figure 17 is eliminated. The shape of the portion 23 is such that the secondary error increases with the size of the correction made by the steering motor and therefore with the acceleration developed in the apparatus. Thus, the damping eiect is increased as the need for damping increases.

It will be understood that the same sort of action takes place when the rocking movement or tracer head 85 is caused by a curve in thepattern being oilowed; the bodily movement of the entire apparatus resulting from the oiset a Aof the driving wheel causes the apparatus immediately to follow the curve in the pattern while again the damping action brought about by the rotation of the tracer prevents overcontrol. AThe speed of the correction and the amount of the damping action. of course, depend upon the shape ofthe pattern. If the curve continues, correcting impulses are given to the steering motor until the tracer reaches the end of the curve at which time the damping action takes place and overcorrection is prevented.

It is to be noted that in the normal tracing position as shown in Figure 15, the point y oi the tracer is not in advance of the center :c of the steering motor shaft which defines the locus of the cut. Because of this, it is ordinarily unnecessary to compensate the template to make the apparatus trace the desired pattern.

To summarize, with the present apparatus an error or deviation from the pattern results first in the application of a relatively strong current to the steering motor to move the tracer head bodily and steer it in the desired direction. The primary error is taken up rapidly by a large application of power. However, the power supplied to the steering motor is throttled before the correction is completed because of the secondary error introduced by the shape of the tracer. The secondary error is corrected gradually, is necessarily small because of the shape of the tracer and is corrected by small applications of power near the null position of the apparatus. The compound action of the offset drive wheel and asymmetric tracer makes possible a prompt response and yet prevents overcorrecting and hunting and results in a traced contour having high delity to the template which may be made to actual scale for all usual commercial fiame cutting.

In Figures 15 to i8 the preferred relationship between the axis of the trunnions and the plane of the drive wheel B is shown. With the apparatus moving in the direction shown by the arrow, the 30 angle of the trunnions permits the tracer head 35 to rock outwardly in response to sharp counter-clockwise curves in the pattern. Inward rocking of the tracer head can, of course, take place readily when a clockwise curve is encountered. It will be appreciated that the dimensions are greatly exaggerated in these gures of the drawings and that abnormally large corrections are indicated; the apparatus in fact is sensitive to very small change and is capable of duplicating` a pattern to within V6.1 inch.

In placing the apparatus in operation, the proper initial adjustment of the contacts with respect to the reed is made by means of the adjustable insulators S63 and |64. Preferably the contact points E52 and 53 are adjusted to be about 0.010 inch from the contact points 154 and 155 on the reed with the reed stationary. If the response is too quick, this spacing may be increased; if it is too slow, the spacing should be decreased. The screw IZB is then set for the width of the cut to be made by the torch, the speed control knob i3 adjusted to the desired speed, and the torch moved to the edge of the workpiece with 'the driving wheel 50 pointed toward the pattern so that the apparatus will engage the edge of the pattern obliquely. Then, the torch is lighted to preheat the wonk in the usual manner, and when the work is properly preheated, the switch llt is moved to starting position. This starts the apparatus toward the pattern and turns on the high pressure oxygen. The apparatus moves in a substantially straight line, or may be steered by the manual control handles vIl and i8 until the tracer 86 makes engagement with the edge of the pattern P. When this oc- 18 curs the thyratron 2 I3 res, placing the apparatus in automatic operation whereupon the apparatus automatically follows the pattern until the switch 45 is thrown to stop position.

The apparatus may be used for manual tracing simply by steering the driving wheel with the handles 'Vl and 'I8 using the guide 'I9 to follow the pattern.

It will be noted that with this control, correcting impulses are applied to the steering motor with every half cycle or the alternating current supply. Thus, the correcting impulses are applied so rapidly that errors are corrected before they become of substantial size. The tracer follows the contour accurately, and the arrangement of offset drive wheel and offset tracer provides for prompt correction of errors and at the same time prevents overcorrection.

The apparatus which produces these desirable results is sturdy and mechanically simple; the electrical circuits are not complicated and einbody well-known and proven components. The apparatus is substantially foolproof and may be operated by relatively unskilled personnel. The pattern following apparatus may be adapted to any ordinary type of pantograph or tracer mechanism. The patterns can be out of cardboard, metal or other sheet materials and need not be kept clean. The patterns require no compensation but may correspond identically with the piece to be reproduced; hence they can be made by any person having knowledge of the template producing art. The delicate portions of the apparatus are all enclosed, the electronic tubes and associated circuit components being disposed in the control box 32; hence the apparatus may be used under the severe operating conditions ordinarily encountered in shops employing flame cutting and welding machinery.

Various changes and modiiications in the apparatus may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore it is to be understood that the foregoing description is given by way of example and not by way of limitation. The scope oi the invention is dened by the appended claims.

I claim:

l. In a contour following apparatus, a tracer head having a tracer adapted to engage a horizontally disposed pattern to be` followed, said tracer head being mounted for rotation about a vertical axis and for rocking movement about a horizontal axis, a driving wheel for supporting said apparatus and driving the same around said pattern, means controlled by rocking movements of said tracer head for steering said driving wheel to cause said apparatus to follow said pattern with said tracer in contact therewith, means for rotating said tracer head about said vertical axis synchronously with the steering movements of said driving wheel, the pattern engaging tracer being eccentric with respect to said vertical axis and offset forwardly therefrom, whereby rotation of said tracer head in a direction to steer said apparatus toward the center of said pattern rocks said tracer head outwardly away from the center of said pattern and rotation in the opposite direction permits said tracer head to rock in the opposite direction.

2. Apparatus according to claim l wherein the horizontal axis about which the tracer head rocks is oblique to the plane of the driving wheel.

3. Apparatus according to claim l wherein the driving wheel engages a horizontal surface and the point of engagement of the driving wheel Number 21 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Mackenson Jan. 1, 1935 Anderson June 15, 1937 Eberle July 16, 1940 Cockrell Nov. 4, 1941 Cates Nov, 11, 1941 McCourt July 25, 1944 Rosen Mar. 27, 1945 ONeiu Apr. 1o, 1945 l0 Number Name Date Boyd June 10, 1947 Curtis Mar. 9, 1948 Branson Dec. 27, 1949 Berry Feb. 28, 1950 FOREGN PATENTS Country Date Germany Feb. 8, 1941 

